Improved form of brassiere

ABSTRACT

There is provided a covering, part at least of which adheres the chest in which at least the lower part of each breast is enveloped. The invention concerns the method of utilizing said novel breast supporting means.

United States Patent 1 [111 3,749,102 Wynants Juiy 31, 1973 [54] IMPROVED FORM OF BRASSIERE 2,959,173 11/1960 Donthit 128/479 [76] lnventor: Marcelle Wynants, 291 Chanssee de FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS Bruxelles, Gnmbergen, Belgium 508,399 6/1939 Great Britain 128/505 [22] Filed: Dec. 2, 1971 969,259 12/1950 France 128/463 [21] Appl. No.: 222,928

Primary Examiner-Werner H. Schroeder [30] Foreign Application Prioriy Dam Attorne vThomas C1fell1,.lr., and Omn M. Behr Dec. 11, 1970 France 7044680 52 u.s. Cl'. 128/505 [57] ABSTRACT [5 There is provided a covering part at least of ad- [58] Flflld of Search 128/463, 478, 479, he s th chest in which at least the lower part of each 128/48 481, 505 breast is enveloped. References Chad The invention concerns the method of utilizing said novel breast supporting means. UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,728,079 l2/l955 Williams 128/505 8 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures Pmmenwm 1 I915 23' 74 9 102 SHEET 1 OF 2 E15. dbl

IMPROVED FORM OF BRASSIERE FIELD OF THE INVENTION Breast-supporting means.

RELATED APPLICATION This application claims priority from applicants copending French application S.N. 7,044,680, filed Dec. 11, 1970.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART Breast-supporting garments, or brassieres, usually consist of two cups connected by a frontal section, two

shoulder-straps, and a back section, which is generally made of an elastic textile material, with some system of fastening.

Present-day ideas 'of feminine beauty require the breasts to appear to be naked under the outer garments, while presenting a firm appearance. The first improvements in this direction concerned the color and fineness of the textiles employed, and gave partial satisfaction, as regards the cups at any rate. But however narrow and transparent the shoulder-straps are, they still place a strain on the flesh of the shoulders which it has so far been impossible to conceal, except by removing the straps entirely. It has on the other hand proved impossible either to conceal the flattening produced in the thorax by the elastic used for the back section, or toeliminate the problem of the fastener, which generally consists of hooks in the middle of the back, involving the need for some way of protecting the skin against them.

Furthermore, when the shoulder-straps of traditional brassieres are removed, or the back section is replaced by a set of straps, the brassiere loses some of its effectiveness, because of the fact, in particular, that the pressures exerted on the cups no longer act in the directions most advantageousto the supporting of the breasts.

A desired improvement in these garments would allow the shoulder-straps and back sections found in existing brassieres to be done away with.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION breast, and causing the adhesive portion of the segment to adhere to the chest and breast bone covering immediately adjacent to said breast.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. la is a plan view of an annular segment of the invention showing adhesive portions located at the corners between the chords and the outer circumference of said segment.

FIG. 1b is a view similar to that of FIG. la additionally showing an adhesive strip adjacent to the outer circumference of segment.

FIG. 2a is a front elevational view of a breast supported by a means shown in FIG. 1b.

FIG. 2b is a side elevational view of a breast supported by a means shown in FIG. lb.

FIG. 3 is a frontal perspective view ofa female having breasts supported by support means of this invention.

The lower portion of the right breast of said female is supported by a means of FIG. la and the upper portion thereof by a means of FIG. lb.

The whole of the left breast of said female is encased in a single annula segment, said segment comprising a major portion of the surface of the complete annulus.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The breast support means of the present invention comprises a segment of an annular piece of support material suitably a flexible, semi-rigid, support material such as a woven or non-woven fabric, having sufficient internal strength to support a female breast, and an adhesive layer attached to said support material. Said adhesive layer being any known adhesive material capable of causing a bond between itself and human skin, said bond being moderately readily broken on being pulled from the skin. Moreover, the adhesive must be of the type which will not cause an allergic reaction with the skin or damage the skin on breaking of the bond therewith. It is especially preferred to utilize adhesive materials which may be contacted, disengaged from and recontacted with the skin in multitudinous cycles. However, it is within the purview of the present invention to consider the means as a disposable item in which case the means may be constructed of disposable material such as paper or the like, and use an adhesive material which is not reusable in the aforesaid manner. The actual dimensions of the means may vary with the size of the breast to be supported. However, the general relationship set forth herein below will not vary.

The basic means la, comprises a segment of an annulus of supportive material defined by:

A portion of the outer circumference of annulus 3,

A portion of the inner circumference 2 A chord 5 joining partial circumference 2 to partial circumference 3 and a second chord 4 joining the other ends of said partial circumferences 2 and 3 to each other.

In view of the eccentric construction of the human female breast, in the preferred embodiment, chord 5 is shorter than chord 4i and the axis of rotation of the inner circumference 2 is eccentric from the axis of rotation of the outer circumference 3. Where the means are to be utilized for the support of the lower portion of the breast only, the surface area of segment la comprises between one-half and one-fourth of the surface area of the complete annulus. These ratios however, are by no means critical, as will be seen hereinbelow. Nevertheless, if if the surface area is less than onefourth of the entire annular area, the support rendered by the means will be minimal. As stated heretofore, the dimensions of the annular segments of all of the embodiments of the present invention will vary according to breast size, however, the major radius is preferably selected so that when the support means is contacted to the contours of the breast, the outer circumference 3 will contact the chest or breast skin covering immediately adjacent to the protruberance of the breast. Similarly, the inner radius is selected so that the nipple, and if desired, the aureole will be visible therethrough. While the visibility of the nipple and the aureole is the main reason for the desirability of the present invention, the structure is not to be considered as limited to such use.

ln one modification of the invention, the adhesive layers 8 are affixed to corners 6 and 7, lying between chords and circumference 3, and chord 4 and circumference 3 respectively.

In a further embodiment of the invention, an additional strip of adhesive 9 is affixed to the support means as shown in FIG. lb, adjacent to circumference 3.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the support means comprises an annular section similar to that described herein above wherein the area of the annulus utilized constitutes a major portion thereof suitably, but not limited to, between about three-fourths and about seven-eighths of the entire area. Such a strip 13, is utilized to cover the entire breast. It will be clear, however, that where one strip is utilized to cover the entire breast, the length of the chords 4 and 5 will be substantially the same so that a substantially non-visible junction will be made between them when they are in place.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the breast support means further comprises padding, said padding being placed between the breast support means and the breast as desired for cosmetic effect.

The novel method of providing support for the human female breast disclosed herein permits the support of the each breast individually without necessity for external support means which are detrimental to the cosmetic effect desired. In one embodiment of the method, the support means of either FlG. la or FIG. lb is cupped around the lower portion of the breast to be supported in such a manner as to follow the contours thereof and the adhesive portions 8, and if applicable, 9, are pressed against the adjacent portions of the skin covering the chest and breast bone thereby providing support for the lower portion of the breast together with, if so desired, exposure of the nipple and aureole of the breast.

In another modification of the invention two segments of either the same or different types as shown in FIGS. lb and la are placed respectively below and above the breast. While it is not essential that the upper sector covers exactly half of the top portion of the breast and the lower sector covers exactly the lower half of the breast, the most desirable cosmetic effect is obtained where the mutual size relationship of the covering segments are so set.

In yet another modification of the method, the entire breast is encased with a single segment 13 by causing the said segment to be layed around the contours of the breast and fixed to the adjacent skin layer by pressure on the adhesive-layer affixed to said covering segment.

Where desired, the cosmetic effect of said breast support means may be enhanced by the insertion between said covering and the breast, in all of the foregoing embodiments, of suitable padding materials.

The support of the breast may be removed simply by stripping the covering material from the skin to which it adheres.

The adhesive layer may be formed of any material having adhesive properties which when stripped off does not leave any stickiness on the skin and may be material such as for instance lsoderm, Blenderm or Transpore sold by Minnesota Mining Manufacture.

1 claim:

1. A breast support means comprising at least one flexible, semi-rigid strip, and an adhesive layer attached to said strip, wherein said strip comprises a portion of an annular sheet of a woven, non-woven, or paper material wherein the portion of said annular sheet is defined by the surface thereof lying between a first chord drawn between said inner circumference and said outer circumference, a port of said outer circumference, a second chord drawn between said outer circumference and said inner circumference and the portion of said inner circumference lying between said two chords.

2. A breast support means according to claim 1 wherein the major radius of said annulus is selected to be substantially equal to but slightly greater than the radius of the breast to be supported.

3. A breast support means according to claim 2 wherein the radius of the inner circumference of said annulus is of a magnitude substantially between the radius of the nipple and the radius of the aureole of the breast to be supported.

4. A breast support means according to claim 1 wherein the surface area of the portion of the segment utilized is between one-half and one-fourth of the surface area of the annulus.

5. A breast support means according to claim 1 wherein the surface area of the portion of said annulus utilized is between three-fourths and seven-eighths of the surface area of the complete annulus.

6. A breast support means according to claim 1 wherein the adhesive layer is located in the corner sector of the support means lying between each of said chords and said outer circumference respectively.

7. A breast support means according to claim 1 wherein the adhesive layer forms a strip adjacent to the outer circumference of the annulus lying inwardly thereof upon the annulus itself.

8. A breast support means according to claim I additionally comprising padding material. 

1. A breast support means comprising at least one flexible, semi-rigid strip, and an adhesive layer attached to said strip, wherein said strip comprises a portion of an annular sheet of a woven, non-woven, or paper material wherein the portion of said annular sheet is defined by the surface thereof lying between a first chord drawn between said inner circumference and said outer circumference, a port of said outer circumference, a second chord drawn between said outer circumference and said inner circumference and the portion of said inner circumference lying between said two chords.
 2. A breast support means according to claim 1 wherein the major radius of said annulus is selected to be substantially equal to but slightly greater than the radius of the breast to be supported.
 3. A breast support means according to claim 2 wherein the radius of the inner circumference of said annulus is of a magnitude substantially between the radius of the nipple and the radius of the aureole of the breast to be supported.
 4. A breast support means according to claim 1 wherein the surface area of the portion of the segment utilized is between one-half and one-fourth of the surface area of the annulus.
 5. A breast support means according to claim 1 wherein the surface area of the portion of said annulus utilized is between three-fourths and seven-eighths of the surface area of the complete annulus.
 6. A breast suppoRt means according to claim 1 wherein the adhesive layer is located in the corner sector of the support means lying between each of said chords and said outer circumference respectively.
 7. A breast support means according to claim 1 wherein the adhesive layer forms a strip adjacent to the outer circumference of the annulus lying inwardly thereof upon the annulus itself.
 8. A breast support means according to claim 1 additionally comprising padding material. 